But shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran, a Labour MP, urged people to vote No and go on to elect her party to lead the UK at the next general election.

Ms Sturgeon said: "By voting Yes in September, we can build the country we want - developing a strong economy and society, and banning nuclear weapons.

"For too long our hands have been tied by damaging decisions made at Westminster, by governments we didn't elect.

"The policies the SNP want to implement in the first parliament of an independent Scotland will deliver the transformational changes the people of Scotland need and deserve.''

She also wrote to Chancellor George Osborne asking him to use the opportunity to devolve airport passenger duty to Holyrood.

Ms Curran said Labour would take a different course.

"My message today is simple. In September people across Scotland can say no thanks to separation and then, less than a year from now, elect a Labour Government,'' she said.

"In our first Queen's Speech we'll freeze energy prices to help hard-working families, tax bankers bonuses to get thousands of young people across Scotland back to work, bring back the 50p tax on people earning over #150,000 and pass more powers over tax, welfare and jobs to the Scottish Parliament.